Anatomy of a Pregnancy and Delivery - March 13, 2001

By Earl Bousquet

  Almost one year ago, Denis DaBreo published in his weekly One Caribbean newspaper a brief but highly speculative article suggesting -- quite prematurely -- that Health Minister Mrs Sarah Flood Beaubrun, was pregnant. How he knew, nobody knew, but the cannonball publisher went on to impose on his readers his own hope – for whatever reason -- that when it was time to deliver her baby, the Health Minister wouldn’t opt to do it abroad. He hoped she would deliver at Victoria Hospital, where, by his own brand of reasoning, the average St. Lucian without means would have no other choice but to deliver. DaBreo’s argument was that the minister should not utilise her freedom to choose where to deliver her first child. As far as he was concerned, the minister needed to join regular mothers at the hospital’s Maternity Ward.

                Several months later, the minister confirmed to an inquiring reporter that she was pregnant. A few more months later -- her maternal status no longer invisible -- the minister proceeded on maternity leave.

                By the beginning of March, with the time her for her first baby’s delivery approaching, the young minister’s pregnancy would give rise to a week’s worth of stories that featured her pregnancy.

·         Monday, March 5:  Radio 100’s Sam “Jook Bwa” Flood, in his early morning broadcast, floated what he acknowledged as a rumour, to the effect that, with the minister’s date for delivery approaching, the staff at the Hospital had laid out a well-furnished and air-conditioned suite comprising two rooms and including a refrigerator – all for the minister’s comfort. He said he’d been told the minister hadn’t requested the special arrangement, but the hospital staff had laid out the red carpet nonetheless, simply to demonstrate to her that “the old lady” (Victoria) could do with a little more upliftment.

·         Monday, March 5: A regular caller to Radio St. Lucia’s IPI programme, taking his cue from Sam Flood that morning, pops the question as to whether special arrangements were in fact being made for the minister at the hospital.

·         Tuesday, March 6: Radio 100’s Andre Paul entertained the issue on his What Makes Me Mad programme. A caller questioned why he should entertain such bashing of the minister, he defended his right to agree with those callers who were of the view that, never mind her status, “the woman” (the minister) should be given an ordinary room like everyone else.” He agreed with the caller that “Sarah Flood” did not merit preferential treatment at the hospital that was not also equally available to the average St. Lucian woman. During the show, a woman also called claiming that her daughter had delivered a baby in a car right outside the hospital – in her presence – after being denied entry at the gate. The caller claimed her daughter waited one full hour before a nurse arrived, spending another hour with them in the car. The host took her number and promised the newsroom would contact her to follow up the story. (The follow-up was still forthcoming a week later…)

·         Wednesday, March 7: Callers to Claudius Francis’ Straight Up show on HTS’ Radio 100 raised the issue, some critical of the fact that special arrangements were being made at the hospital for the Minister of health to deliver her baby.

·         Thursday, March 8: HTS’s TV News that night featured a major story by Aloysious Chandler on the preparations at the hospital for the minister’s delivery. He’d interviewed senior hospital staff who denied that any additional expense had been incurred by the hospital or the ministry to facilitate the arranged room. He explained that new and yet-to-be-used furniture had been temporarily removed from other sections of the hospital to furnish the room. This and other explanations notwithstanding, the reporter proceeded to show and spell out the details of the arrangements. Chandler also stated, as fact, that the special arrangements were being made for the minister at a time when ordinary St. Lucian women were delivering babies on the hospital’s floor.

·         Thursday, March 8: Rick Wayne took up the issue in his edition of Talk. Citing the fact that International Women’s Day was being observed that day, he read extensive parts of a statement issued earlier in the day by the Acting Health Minister Michael Gaspard, in which the acting minister defended the right of the minister to get special treatment at the hospital she had ministerial responsibility for. He said the privilege being accorded the minister was normal for persons holding her office, not only here, but worldwide. He noted this was a continuation of the steady improvements being done at the hospital since 1997 and this marked the beginning of a return to paid private service at the island’s lone general hospital. Rick Wayne maintained, however, that while he had nothing against the minister receiving privileged treatment at the hospital, he had a problem with her getting such privileges when they were not available to ordinary St. Lucian women.

·         Friday, March 9: The issue continues to be discussed in the broadcast media, with more calls to Straight Up.

·         Saturday, March 10: The Weekend Star carried an edited version of the Acting Health Minister’s statement in which the writer adds the new twist that “sources close to the hospital” had indicated that the colour of the drapes had been chosen by the minister herself. And further, that on the appointed day, “all medical operations will be cancelled just in case the new mother needs a Caesarian.”

·         Saturday, March 10: Denis Dabreo is back on the story once again, this time publishing in his One Caribbean a front page colour portrait photo of former prime Minister Sir John Compton with his wife Lady Janice and their five children. The accompanying headline claimed that: “Unlike Sarah Flood who is costing taxpayers in excess of $22,000 to have her child, Janice Compton can boast that I HAD ALL FIVE CHILDREN AT VICTORIA At No Extra Costs To The Taxpayers…” In the accompanying story, the Grenada-born publisher (who no one has taken issue with for choosing to marry a St. Lucian) took a distastefully xenophobic dig at the hospital administrator quoted by Chandler on HTS two nights earlier as “The Trinidadian hospital administrator who has been brought here by the Kenny Anthony administration at great expense to the taxpayers of this country, to do a job which many St. Lucians are quite capable of doing…” He proceeded to contrast “this type of expensive, luxurious, wasteful and preferential treatment” with  “the simple, humble manner in which the former Prime Minister’s wife, Lady Janice Compton, had all five of her children delivered at Victoria Hospital, without adding one extra cent to the costs to the taxpayers, beyond what it normally costs all citizens to have their children delivered at that institution.” DaBreo added: “It must also be pointed out that the last of the Comptons’ children was born in the general maternity ward because no beds were available at the Baron Wing on the day of her delivery.” DaBreo concluded by stating that the minister should neither expect of be entitled to any special or preferential treatment and that if she did, she had “no right in our politics.”

Throughout the entire week of minister-bashing, certain facts – both known and brought to the attention of those leading the charge – were conveniently ignored.

None of the reporters and publishers underlined or acknowledged the fact that the senior hospital staffers quoted had indicated that the minister will be paying the normal charges for her delivery at the general hospital she is in charge of.

None seemed prepared to acknowledge that, until they are withdrawn officially, there are privileges that come with holding certain high offices. (That’s why ministers have diplomatic passports, diplomats have special vehicle number plates and immunity from payment of certain taxes, and why the front seat is reserved for certain dignitaries at all functions.

And none seemed ready to acknowledge that a privilege isn’t a privilege if it’s available to everyone.

None of her critics acknowledged the indication by the acting health minister and the hospital administrator that the provision of special attention to the minister was the beginning of a return to private service at the hospital (as in the old Baron Wing days) to offer and provide an additional choice for patients.

None sought to investigate or challenge the claim that there was such a shortage of beds at the Maternity Wing that babies were still being delivered on the floor at the hospital – something hospital officials insist hasn’t been heard of since 1997.

None of the reporters, talk show hosts or publishers concerned even undertook even the most basic exercise of journalistic practice by calling the minister (whose home and number are impossible not to find in our 238 square miles). None cared to offer her the benefit of expressing her own view on all that was being said and speculated about her pregnancy and its supposed cost to taxpayers. And none acknowledged the fact that we are simply making history, this being the first minister to bear a child in office.

Ministers Sarah Flood-Beaubrun and Menissa Rambally are up against the fact that they are young women, in a young government in a young nation unaccustomed to having young people – particularly young women -- occupying senior ministerial positions.

The appointment of a relatively young woman as our Governor General was not met with all smiles among those unable to adjust to the shifts associated with gender mobility in today’s world. Similarly, the fact that two young women occupy senior ministerial positions in the SLP administration has not been fully accepted by those who have no confidence in the youth.

Such people – few as they are – refuse to accept that either Mrs Flood-Beaubrun or Miss Rambally should have to be referred to by the title of “Honourable”. They would rather punish them for their age than give them their due.

Perhaps inadvertently offering a clear sign of the fate of St. Lucia’s young any government she leads or is part of (God forbid), UWP Leader Dr Morella Joseph openly declared at her party’s recent Gros Islet public meeting that Miss Rambally is too young to be entrusted with responsibility for the all-important tourism industry. Similar sentiments are deeply held by many other closet critics who, like the public proponents, are simply not interested in ability, competence or the fact that every person in a new job for the first time will take some time to get his or her feet off the ground.

The fact that several; of those elected to office on the SLP’s ticket at the last election are ordinary people who came forward to offer themselves for office while many of today’s critics hid behind excuses has somehow worked against them. For some, it has meant that rather than being encouraged to become successful role models for today’s errant youth, they have become victims of ridicule and de-personification by those who simply refuse to accept that “such persons” are ministers of government.

It doesn’t matter to her critics that the same “Sarah” won the first seat in the last election, dealing a devastating blow to the UWP by defeating the then Prime Minister in a constituency the Labour Party had never, ever won since Adult Suffrage in 1951. Or that “Menissa” set new political records when she replaced her father and defeated her uncle in a crucial general election at age 21 and evetually becoming the youngest government minister in this part of the world.

Rather than treat these and the other humble souls who carried the SLP to victory in 1997, with the respect that comes with their office, some among us would rather demean the office to debase the personality. We even advocate undeserved disrespect for their office on the basis of their youth and sex.

Rational thinking would conclude that, until such time as we as a nation decide to do away with the privileges attached to ministerial office, such privileges would remain. Among such privileges is that of having the option to accept and use them, or not. But, to their bashing critics, “Sarah” and “Menissa” – being ordinary people – should forego or be denied the perks and privileges of their office. As “ordinary people” the young women ministers are being told they have no right to be treated like any of their predecessors -- be it to a better salary, a pension, or even a private room at the nation’s general hospital.

Such is the political climate today in St. Lucia, where naked partisanship is easily, conveniently and shamelessly allowed to blind even the most educated among us to principles of justice and fairness. Yet, so many among us are still wondering why so many young people shy away from playing any active part in national political life…

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